Intel has introduced two new CPUs in their Core Ultra 200 series: the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the more affordable Core Ultra 5 250K Plus, with the latter priced at $200 US to compete directly against AMD’s Ryzen 5 9600X. The 250K Plus features six performance (P) cores and twelve efficiency (E) cores, totaling 18 threads, which gives it a significant advantage in multi-threaded productivity tasks. This architecture is based on Intel’s Arrow Lake design but includes several enhancements such as increased core clocks, a larger 30 MB L3 cache, and support for faster DDR5-7200 memory, making it a compelling option for both productivity and gaming at its price point.
In productivity benchmarks like Cinebench and Blender, the 250K Plus outperforms the Ryzen 5 9600X by a substantial margin, often around 85-86% faster, and also shows significant gains over Intel’s previous 245K and 14600K models. Compression and decompression tasks further highlight its strengths, with the 250K Plus delivering 50-65% better performance than the 9600X. However, it does not dominate every productivity workload; for instance, in Photoshop, the Ryzen 9600X maintains a clear lead. Still, in video editing with Premiere Pro, the 250K Plus edges ahead slightly.
Gaming results are mixed but generally favorable for the 250K Plus, which matches or surpasses the Ryzen 5 9600X in many titles, especially at medium settings. While the 9600X is faster in some games like Rainbow Six Siege and ACC, the 250K Plus shines in Battlefield 6, Marvel Rivals, Spider-Man 2, and Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing enabled, often delivering better frame rates and 1% lows. Overall, across 14 games tested, the 250K Plus is on average 2-3% faster than the 9600X, making the two CPUs very competitive in gaming performance.
Power consumption tests show that the 250K Plus is efficient in productivity workloads, consuming 57% more power than the 9600X but delivering 85% better performance, which translates to superior power efficiency. In gaming, power usage between the two CPUs is similar, with the 250K Plus sometimes consuming slightly more power but also providing better performance. Intel’s one-click overclocking feature, 200S Boost, offers minimal performance gains on the 250K Plus, unlike on some older models where it provided modest improvements.
In conclusion, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is an excellent value CPU for $200, offering strong productivity and competitive gaming performance that generally surpasses AMD’s Ryzen 5 9600X. Despite being based on existing architecture without major technological breakthroughs, Intel has optimized the design well to deliver impressive performance gains at a lower price. While it may be a late arrival in the market and lacks an upgrade path compared to AMD’s platform, it represents a compelling choice for new builds focused on productivity without breaking the bank. However, the high cost of DDR5 memory may impact the overall upgrade cost for some users.
